Apple begins the App Store cull by evicting older apps

Apple has used 100 percent responsibly sourced fibers in its packaging for the last three years.

As the number of apps it approves breaks 1,000/day, Apple has warned developers of plans to begin removing old apps that haven’t yet been updated for two years or more.

Developers must update their apps

On its ‘App Store Improvement’ page, Apple explains why it is doing this:

“To make it easier for customers to find great apps that fit their needs, we want to ensure that apps available on the App Store are functional and up-to-date,” the company says. “We are implementing an ongoing process of evaluating apps, removing apps that no longer function as intended, don’t follow current review guidelines, or are outdated.”

The company intends evaluating every app hosted on the App Store for this and if issues are found developers will be contacted to let them know a change is required, and given 30-days to make that change.

Apps that crash on launch will be removed immediately.

Apple does say that existing users of an app will still enjoy full functionality, but recommends developers update their software ASAP.

Some developers are complaining that Apple’s decision, but it seems reasonable given the company’s recent move to insist that developers submitting apps for review bring their software into line with Apple’s privacy policy.

Apple protected customers from more than $1.5 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions in 2020

Those apps that have not been updated to meet these requirements but remain available had to be culled at some point.

[Also read: Apple now lets devs iterate and optimize App Store listings]

There are developers who argue that meeting these requirements will be more challenging for small indie developers, but I don’t really think that is Apple’s intention. A smaller developer could, I guess, simply make a small change to their app and resubmit it.

At the same time, for some developers the app they have already created and made available represents a moment in time, a work of art they feel should continue to be made available as relevant. I do have a certain sympathy for that outlook.

But what Apple I think is going for here is a kind of reset at the App Store to ensure all the apps available there are being maintained.

This is particularly important given the current cybersecurity climate, which more than ever means users should be able to be completely certain of the apps they choose to use – and will require developers and Apple itself pay good attention to what happens in-store.

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